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What back-of-border shrubs should I get?
Q I am looking to create a low maintenance garden with some plants at the back of the border. I am looking to put them in pots and get drought resistant plants no taller than 2-3ft (60-90cm). The wall is east facing with only a few hours of sun.
Jan Schut (via email)
A I suggest that you plant the following drought-resistant shrubs in pots to beautify your garden. All grow to around 3ft (90cm). If they become too large, prune them after flowering. If they bloom in autumn, tackle them in spring:
Varieties of Abelia: Pink blooms from July to October.
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’: Silvery, ferny foliage.
Caryopteris ‘Kew Blue’: Rich blue flowers from late summer to autumn.
Ceratostigma willmottianum: Bright blue blossom from July to October.
Convolvulus cneorum: Silvery leaves; massed creamy, funnel-shaped flowers in summer.
Coronilla valentina glauca: Clusters of yellow pea flowers from late spring to summer and again in autumn and winter.
Potentilla fruticosa ‘Pink Beauty’: Pink flowers from late spring to summer.
Prunus tenella ‘Fire Hill’: Cerise blooms in April.
Santolina chamaecyparissus: Silver foliage; yellow flowers.
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I have a Wollemi pine that is about
